No stranger to the main stage, Claire addressed the audience at BDL Accelerate last Thursday on our company vision for the future of work.
The reality is, the world is chaotic, which means we’re going to have to accept that we can’t understand or control everything that is happening. We need to adapt and change.
It seems counterintuitive, but the very definition of chaos implies a sense of order, it’s just not one that is easy to explain. Like space, the universe, or the Big Bang Theory.
So what does this mean for us as we hurtle into the future? It means realising that we need to be thinking strategically about the future, if we’re going to stay relevant as companies and individuals.
As a CEO, Claire’s engagement with the audience while on stage was only part of the reason she attended the conference. In addition to that, learning more about the startup industry, networking with key players in the industry and being able to talk to successful entrepreneurs all over the world presented a valuable learning opportunity.
To get some more insight into Claire’s experience as a speaker and attendee at BDL Accelerate, we asked her for a brief, high-level overview of what she focused on and what she learnt:
To expand on these topics, for the benefit of our team and readers, we did a bit more research to flesh out some of the ideas and topics mentioned above:
In the startup world there is a lot of talk about unicorns, or private companies that are valued at 1 billion dollars and more. Companies like Uber, Snapchat and Pinterest, to name a few.
Although we don’t have access to the exact talk that Teare gave last week yet, here is a recording of a talk on unicorns that he gave at a conference in Iceland last year that gives some insight into the topic:
In this talk, Teare explains the way these kinds of businesses are funded, and that really, investors are hunting for the next unicorn. Who are these unicorns though? Here is a recent list of unicorns, from data analytics companies like Uptake Technologies to Jessica Alba’s eco-friendly baby care range, The Honest Company.
What is the role of a CTO exactly? While traditionally responsible for the technological side of a business, how is this role going to change as all businesses become technology focused?
As Asseily’s comments above indicate, to be an effective startup, the role of the CTO needs to shift from just developing a product and being involved in the technology itself to more of a strategic and decision-making role. According to a number of different executives from different industries, the changing role of a CTO involves being able to make better use of data for business decisions, as well as focusing on security, customers and processes.
With different stages of funding, from seed, to venture and then growth, how do you manage funding and investment effectively as a startup? While it’s great to get advice ahead of time, the reality is that it’s only by making huge mistakes that we really learn.
As Claire’s proactivity in getting advice suggests, one of the main pieces of advice on startup fundraising is about finding not only investors, but mentors, who can help guide you and give advice, based on their own experience. As a company, we have some incredible mentors, who continue to support us as we grow.
We’ve learnt a lot this year, and with expansion into new markets, we’re guaranteed to learn a lot more.
What are your thoughts on unicorns, the changing roles of startup executives and startup funding? Share your advice, comments and thoughts in the comments below.
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